Solving the Seating Arrangement Puzzle

This question involves a linear seating arrangement puzzle with seven friends: O, P, Q, R, S, T, and U. We need to use the given clues to determine the seating order and identify the person at the extreme left end.

Analyzing the Seating Clues

Let's list the information provided:

• There are 7 friends sitting in a row.
• Clue 1: S is sitting at one extreme end. (Either the left or right end).
• Clue 2: P is sitting second to the right of S.
• Clue 3: P is sitting between O and Q.
• Clue 4: U is NOT sitting at any extreme end. (U cannot be at either the left or right end).
• Clue 5: R Is sitting to the immediate left of T. (R and T sit together as RT).
• Clue 6: Q does not sit beside S.

Step-by-Step Deduction of the Seating Order

Let's use the clues to build the seating arrangement from left to right (positions 1 to 7).

1. From Clues 1 and 2: S is at an extreme end, and P is second to the right of S. For P to be to the right of S, S must be at the left extreme end (Position 1). If S were at the right end, no one could be to its right. So, S is at Position 1. P is second to the right of S, meaning there is one person between S and P.
   Arrangement so far: S _ P _ _ _ _ (Positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
2. From Clue 3: P is sitting between O and Q. This means the arrangement around P is either O P Q or Q P O. So, the sequence involving O, P, and Q must be O P Q or Q P O.
3. From Clue 6: Q does not sit beside S. Let's combine this with the possibilities from Clue 3 and the current arrangement (S _ P ...).
   • If the sequence is Q P O, inserting this after S could look like S Q P O .... In this arrangement, Q is immediately next to S (Position 2 beside Position 1). This violates Clue 6 (Q does not sit beside S). So, Q P O is not the arrangement around P.
   • If the sequence is O P Q, inserting this after S fits with the current arrangement (S _ P ...) as S O P Q .... Here, S is at Position 1, O at 2, P at 3, and Q at 4. Q (at 4) is not beside S (at 1). This arrangement satisfies Clue 6.
   The arrangement is thus determined up to position 4: S O P Q _ _ _ (Positions 1, 2, 3, 4).
4. Identifying Remaining Friends and Positions: The friends seated are S, O, P, Q. The remaining friends are R, T, and U. The remaining positions are 5, 6, and 7.
5. From Clue 5: R is sitting to the immediate left of T (RT). This pair must occupy two adjacent empty positions. The available adjacent pairs are (5, 6) or (6, 7).
   • Possibility A: RT are in positions 5 and 6. The arrangement becomes S O P Q R T _. Position 7 is left for U.
   • Possibility B: RT are in positions 6 and 7. The arrangement becomes S O P Q _ R T. Position 5 is left for U.
6. From Clue 4: U is NOT sitting at any extreme end. The extreme ends are Position 1 and Position 7.
   • Checking Possibility A (S O P Q R T U): U is at Position 7. Position 7 is an extreme end. This arrangement violates Clue 4.
   • Checking Possibility B (S O P Q U R T): U is at Position 5. Position 5 is not an extreme end. This arrangement satisfies Clue 4.

Therefore, the only possible and valid seating arrangement that satisfies all the given clues is S O P Q U R T.

Final Seating Arrangement

The determined seating order from left to right is:

S O P Q U R T

Positions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Identifying the Left End

The question asks who is sitting at the extreme left end. In our final arrangement S O P Q U R T, the person at Position 1 (the extreme left end) is S.

The person sitting at the extreme left end is S.

Seating Arrangement Revision Table

Additional Information on Seating Puzzles

Seating arrangement questions are common in logical reasoning sections of competitive exams. They require careful reading and step-by-step deduction. Here are some tips for solving them:

• Read all clues first to get an overview.
• Start with the most definitive clue, often involving extreme ends or fixed positions relative to others.
• Draw a diagram (like blanks in a row or a circle) to represent the seats.
• Place individuals based on direct clues.
• Use relative position clues (left, right, between, immediate left/right) to fill in more spots.
• Look for clues that link different individuals or groups.
• Eliminate possibilities that contradict any clue.
• If stuck, consider multiple possibilities based on ambiguous clues and see which one fits with subsequent clues.
• Always verify your final arrangement against all the given clues to ensure it is correct.